Display cabinet



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvEm-OR. DOMENICO PATRIARCA y r )fda/Mx ATTORNEYS.

1970 D. PATR'ARC* Ju DISPLAY CABINET Filed Aug. 8, 1967 n?! gg. 1:45151D PATRIARCA DISPLAY CABINET Jan. `13, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug.8, 1967 FIG. 3

:NvfsNmm QQMENCO PATRARC ATTORNEYS .V/ AAAA m MMM/v4 D. PATRIARCADISPLAY CABINET Jan. 13, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. e. 1967INVENTOR BY oMENlco PATRIARCA Mw 'faam ATTORNEYS Jan. 13, 1970 mvENroR.DOMENICO PATR'IARCA FlG. T

By WMM l ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,489,474 DISPLAY CABINETDomenico Patriarca, Providence, R.I., assignor to Patriarca Mfg., Inc.,Providence, RJ., a corporation of Rhode Island Filed Aug. 8, 1967, Ser.No. 659,103 Int. Cl. A47f 3/06 U.S. Cl. 312-119 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A display cabinet in which a display unit is normally 1ocatedin a display position, the display unit including a plurality ofvertically stepped shelves that provide for the display of articlesthereon in stepped relation, the display unit being movable rearwardlyof said cabinet from the display position to an open position forexposing said articles as located on said shelves for removal therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Although the present invention hasapplication in the display of a variety of articles, it is designed forparticular use as a counter display cabinet in a retail establishmentfor the storage and display of `tobacco products, such as cigars.Heretofore, cigars have been normally displayed in boxes that arelocated on shelves in a glass encased cabinet. In order to provide forvisual access to the contents of the cigar boxes, the covers of theboxes are normally disposed in an open position, wherein they aresubstantially vertical. Although the cigar boxes and the contentstherein were visually accessible to the customer in these prior knowndisplay cases, the location f the box covers in the vertical positionnot only made it dificult for the clerk to see the contents of the boxesfrom the rear of the cabinet, but further made reaching the contents ofthe forwardmost boxes difficult unless the boxes were physically removedfrom their display position. The inaccessibility of the cigar boxes andthe contents therein in the prior known display cases was particularlyevident in those types of cases wherein the shelves were fixed, andaccess thereto was through a sliding door arrangement located at therear of the case. Because of the difficulty in obtaining access to theboxes of the prior known display case, it was notunusual for theinterior of the case to become unsightly with disarrayed boxes andcigars strewn about. Not only was it difficult to obtain access to theprior known cigar display cabinets, but because the rear doors werenormally open, atmosphere circulated in the cabinet interior; and eventhough the cigars were individually wrapped, a certain amount ofdeterioration thereof took place after a period of time. The supplyingof humidified air to cigar boxes is recognized as an excellent means forconditioning the atmosphere, but the prior known display cabinets werenormally constructed such that introducing conditioned humidified airwas either not possible or was impractical to achieve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The display cabinet of the present inventionhas particular application in the display of cigars as contained incigar boxes; and, in order to display the maximum number of cigar boxeswithin the cabinet, a display unit is provided that includes a pluralityof stepped shelves on which the cigar boxes are located in steppedrelation. In order to provide for accessibility to the cigar boxes,which are normally displayed with the covers thereof in an open verticalposition, the display unit is mounted in the cabinet such that it isslidable rearwardly of the cabinet from a normally closed position to anopen position. By provid- ICC ing for sliding movement of the displayunit, the forwardmost of the stepped shelves is readily accessible as itmoves to the rearmost end of the cabinet.

Since the display case of the present invention is provided for normallydisplaying articles such as cigars, a separate humidifying unit islocated within the display unit and is adapted to supply conditioned airto the interior of the cabinet, and for the purpose of promoting maximumcirculation of the humidified air, the display shelves are perforated.The cabinet further includes an additional storage bin for receivingexcess inventory, the storage bin being disposed at the bottom of thedisplay cabinet and being slidably removable from the cabinet whereinaccess thereto is easily obtained.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide adisplay cabinet in which a display unit is slidably mounted and which isformed with a plurality of vertically stepped shelves that provide fordisplay of articles thereon in stepped relation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display cabinet for thedisplay of articles, such as cigars as contained in boxes, the boxesbeing normally disposed in an open position wherein the covers aregenerally vertical, and being .mounted on stepped shelves that areformed as part of a display unit that is movable from a closed displayposition to an open position at the rear of the cabinet.

Still another object is to provide a cigar display cabinet that includesa humidifier that is mounted in the display unit and is adapted tosupply humidified air to the cabinet interior.

Still another object is to provide a display case having a display unitslidably mounted therein and that includes perforated shelves throughwhich humidified air is adapted to be circulated.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered inconnection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings which illustrate the bestmode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. l is a perspective View of the display cabinet embodied in thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the display cabinet, wherein theopen position of the display unit mounted therein is illustrated inphantom;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along lines 3 3in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the display that is mounted forslidable movement in the display cabinet;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the cabinet, with portionsbroken away, showing the interior of the cabinet with the display unitand storage bin removed therefrom;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rear portion of the display cabinetshowing the humidifier unit as moved to the open position thereof; and

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view, with portions shown in section, ofthe humidifier unit illustrated in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings andparticularly to FIG. l, thedisplay cabinet embodied in the presentinvention is generally indicated at 10 and is of that type that isemployed in a retail establishment as a counter unit. As will bedescribed, the display cabinet 10 is designed particularly for use inthe display of tobacco products, such as cigars. However, it iscontemplated that the broad concept of the invention may be utilized inthe display of articles other than tobacco products.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, thedisplay cabinet 10 includes side Walls 12 and 14, a two-part front wallincluding a lower nontransparent portion 16 and an upper glass portion18, a glass top Wall 20, and a bottom wall 22. The rear of the cabinetis exposed for receiving in the upper portion thereof a display unitgenerally indicated at 24, and for receiving in the lower portionthereof a storage bin generally indicated at 26. The cabinet 10 furtherincludes a recessed base 28 which is conventional in counter-typedisplay cases.

It will be observed from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the glass portion 18 of thefront Wall and the solid bottom portion 16 are inclined toward eachother so as to provide for optimum visibility within the cabinet and tofurther form a generally pleasing and modern appearance for the cabinet.The exterior construction of the cabinet further includes marginal trimthat extends along the edges of the side walls, top wall, front wall andrear edges of the side walls to further provide for a finished look andornamental appearance. As indicated in FIG. 2, the interior of thecabinet 10 is essentially separated in an upper compartment in which thedisplay unit 24 is located and a lower compartment in which the storagebin 26 is locatedQAs further illustrated in FIG. 5, spaced panels 30 and32 provide partial dividers for the upper and lower compartments.

One of the features of the present invention is the movement of thedisplay unit 24 from the closed or display position within the cabinetto the open position which is indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 2. Inorder to provide for movement of the display unit 24, spaced tracks 34are joined to the side walls 12 and 14 and are slightly inclined fromrear to front, wherein a positive closing action of the display unit isproduced when it is moved within the cabinet 10.

The display unit 24 is designed to have a maximum number of articlesmounted thereon for display and for this purpose is formed with aplurality of stepped shelves, as indicated in FIG. 2 at 36, 38, 40 and42. The shelves 36-42 extend substantially the length of the displaycase cabinet and are secured to side walls 46 of the display unit. Theforwardmost shelf 36 is slightly inclined from rear to front and isprovided with an upwardly turned lip 48 thereon, the inclination of theshelf 36 and the lip 48 acting to locate an article for display, such asa cigar box, indicatedin FIG. 1 at 50, in the forwardmost position inthe cabinet 10 when the display unit 24 is enclosed in the cabinet.

In order to provide for slidable movement of the display unit 24 intoand out of the cabinet 10, pairs of rollers 52 are mounted on the sidewalls of the display unit, as indicated in FIG. 3, and are located inrolling engagement on the inclined tracks 24. As seen in FIG. 4, each ofthe rollers 52 as secured to a side wall of the display unit 24 isoffset vertically with respect to the other roller on the same wall soas to be received on the inclined tracks 34, and thus the display unit24 is normally movable by gravity to the display position within thecabinet. Fixed to the rearmost end of the display unit 24 is a rearpanel 54, to which an exterior pull 56 is joined. The panel 54 conformsgenerally to the coniiguration of the uppermost portion of the rearopening in the cabinet, so that when the display unit 24 is in thedisplay position, the uppermost portion of the opening is sealed by thepanel 54. As indicated in FIG. 2, the storage bin 26 is also formed witha rear panel 58 having a pull 60 secured thereto, the panel 58cooperating with the panel 54 to seal the rear opening of the cabinetwhen the display unit 24 and the storage bin 26 are in the closedpositions thereof. The storage bin 26 is further formed with a frontwall 62 that is inclined generally in the same diregtion as the lowerfront portion 16 of the cabinet, thereby providing for maximum storagecapacity ne bis 4t. Mmmm of in@ 49mg@ bin 2@ is acmtated by the use oftracks 64 that are joined to the side walls 12 and 18 of the cabinet,rollers 66 being secured to the side walls of the storage bin and beingreceived on the track 64 in rolling engagement therewith.

Since the articles to lbe displayed within the display case 10 areprimarily tobacco products, such as indicated as the cigar boxes 50 inFIG. l, it is desirable to provide for free ow of humidied air withinthe cabinet in order to prevent drying out of the tobacco. For thispurpose, the shelves 36, 38, 40` and 42 are formed of a perforatedmaterial, such as metal or plastic, and provide access for circulatingair to the interior of the display unit 24. In order to circulatehumidied air within the cabinet 10', a separately movable drawerindicated at 70` in FIG. 6 is provided. The drawer 70 includes a rearpanel 72 having an external dra-wer pull 74 secured thereto and isslidably mounted in side brackets 76 that are secured within the sidewalls of the display unit 24. Positioned within the drawer 70 is ahumidifier unit generally indicated at 78, the humidifier unit 78 beingof any conventional construction and being operated in any suitablemanner to provide for circulation of humidified air within the cabinet.The drawer 70, in which the humidifier unit 78 is disposed, is slidablymounted with respect to the display unit 24 but is further movabletherewith, since it is located within the display unit beneath the shelf42 as indicated in FIG. 4. Thus, the drawer 70 is movable rearwardly ofthe display cabinet when servicing 0f the humidifier unit 78 is requiredor supplying of water thereto is necessary. Since the shelves of thedisplay unit 24 are perforated, it is seen that complete circulation ofhumidiied air within the cabinet 10 by the humidifier unit 78 isfacilitated.

In use of the display cabinet, it is usually located in a retailestablishment and serves as a counter unit, as is conventional in thisgeneral type of merchandiser. Since the top wall 20 and upper forwardportion 18 are of a glass material, visual access is provided to theinterior of the cabinet, which is also conventional practice. Located onthe display shelves 36-42 are the cigar boxes indicated at 50, and, inthe position of display, the covers of the boxes are disposed in agenerally vertical position, as i1- lustrated in FIG. 1. In thisposition of the covers of the cigar boxes, it is normally diicult toobtain access to the interiors thereof from the rear 0f the displaycabinet.

However, since the entire display unit 24 is movable rearwardly of thecabinet, access to the cigar boxes 50 is easily available, andindividual cigars may be removed from the boxes as required withoutfumbling and without upsetting the appearance of the boxes and cigars aScontained therein. The cigars as contained in the boxes 50l are furthermaintained in a fresh condition, regardless of the period of time ofdisplay in the display cabinet since humidiiied air is circulatedthrough the cabinets by the humidifier unit 78, the perforated shelves36-42 aiding in the free circulation of the humidifed air.

It is seen that the display unit 24 as described herein provides formaximum visual display of the cigar boxes thereon since the unit islocated such that the rearmost boxes are positioned adjacent to the topwall 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 4). In effect, the entire display unit islocated more closely to the eye of the customer, which in prior knowndisplay cases was not possible, because of the space requirement at thetop of the display case that was necessary to provide access to theforwardmost boxes. Not only are the cigar boxes more visible to thecustomer because they are located at the top of the cabinet, but morestorage space is provided at the bottom thereof. Further, stooping andbending by the clerk are avoided, which enables the clerk to maintainvisual contact with the customer at all times.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structureembodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the artthat various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive4concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms hereinshown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In a display cabinet having a front wall, side walls, top wall,bottom Wall and an opening at the rear thereof exposing the interior ofsaid cabinet, a display unit nor- `mally located in said cabinet in adisplay position' and including a plurality of vertically steppedshelves that -provide for display of articles thereon in steppedrelation, said articles as displayed being boxes having pivotallymounted covers that are normally located in an open position in whichthe covers are generally vertical, the contents of said boxes beingtobacco products, means ymounted in said display unit for humidifyingthe air in said cabinet for preserving the freshness of said tobaccoproducts, said humidifying means including a drawer located at therearmost end of said display unit and movable independently of saiddisplay unit so as to provide access thereto while said display unit islocated in a display position thereof, and means providingy for slidablemovement of said display unit rearwardly of said cabinet from thedisplay position to an open position for exposing said articles aslocated on said shelves for removal therefrom as required, saidlast-named means including tracks secured to said side walls and beingdownwardly inclined from rear to front, said display unit having rollerslocated on the sides thereof in spaced relation and beingr receivable onsaid tracks, the weight of said display unit and the inclination of saidtracks causing said display unit to normally move to the closed ordisplay position thereof.

2. In a display case as set forth in claim l, a storage bin located insaid cabinet and ldisposed below said display unit, said storage binbeing movable rearwardly from the interior of said cabinet to an openposition. wherein article stored therein are exposed for removal.

3, In a display cabinet having a front wall, side walls,

top Wall, bottom wall and an opening at the rear thereof exposing theinterior of said cabinet, a display unit normally located in saidcabinet in a display position and including a plurality of verticallystepped shelves that provide for display of articles thereon in steppedrelation, said article as displayed being boxes having pivotally mountedcovers that are normally located in an open posifion in which the coversare generally vertical, the contents of said boxes being tobaccoproducts, means mounted in said display unit for humidifying the air insaid cabinet for preserving the freshness of said tobacco products, saidhumidifying means including a drawer located at the rearmost end of saiddisplay unit and movable independently of said display unit so as toprovide access thereto while said unit is located in the displayposition thereof, said shelves being perforated to provide for thecirculation of humidified air Within said display unit when it islocated in the display position thereof, and means Iproviding forslidable movement of said display unit rearwardly of said cabinet from adisplay Iposition to an open position for exposing said articles aslocated on said shelves for removal therefrom as required, saidlast-named means including track and roller means for causing saiddisplay unit to normally move to the closed or display position thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,605 2/1889 Ganter 312-122919,545 4/1909 Davidson 312-131 1,261,455 4/1918 Stallings 312-1193,104,142 9/1963 Knape et al. 312-333 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner I.L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner

